Into the Woods
by cienna
Summary: Ban and Ginji go on a retrieval in Hokkaido that doesn't turn out quite the way they plan. BanGinji
1. Chapter 1

**Into the Woods by Cienna**

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Note** - I decided to write a story with a bit more of a plot this time. It's still headed in the same direction, though (Ban/Ginji love in case you couldn't guess). Thanks to takadainmate for betaing. Please read and review.

**Disclaimer** -I do not own Getbackers and the characters contained herein do not belong to me. I will be making no money from this project, sadly.

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The day was cold and cloudy as they set out for their retrieval in the Hokkaido National Forest. Ginji couldn't contain his excitement and it was all Ban could do to keep him from running from one souvenir shop to the next once they arrived at the Sapporo airport. 

"I'm sure they'll have better souvenirs once we get out of the airport, Ginji. And you really don't need a raccoon tail hat."

"But it's so cute, Ban-chan. And it would make me look like a real adventurer in the wilderness." He put the hat down and fingered a fake bear claw necklace.

"Do you think we'll see any bears?"

"I doubt it. It's getting close to winter now. They're probably all hibernating." Privately, Ban doubted there were any bears left in the Hokkaido National Forest at all. He had heard that they had all been removed and taken to some sort of bear sanctuary that was more like an old rundown zoo.

"What are these, Ban-chan?" Ginji was now pointing to a jar filled with water and what looked like two fuzzy green balls.

"Those are those algae ball things that are so famous here." Ban picked up one of the small jars and gazed at it intently. "I think they're called Marimo or something."

"Wow! Look at these, Ban-chan! They're huge!" Ginji stared at a large aquarium that held several of the algae balls. "Can we get some?"

"No way. The last thing we need is to carry around some stupid algae balls on this trip. This isn't a vacation, you know."

Ginji frowned. "I know. It just kind of seems like one because we took a plane. And it's not like we'll probably ever be able to afford to come to Hokkaido again."

"Don't talk like that. If this retrieval goes well, we can come back and spend a month here. These clients are loaded. They paid for our airline tickets, didn't they?"

"That's true." Ginji traced his finger along the edge of the aquarium, following the swaying movement of the algae balls. "Do you really think they'll pay us what they said?"

"Why wouldn't they?" Ban asked.

"I don't know," Ginji said. It just seems like we never seem to make any money."

"I have a good feeling about the job this time. I think things will work out. If you don't screw them up that is."

"Ban-chan!" Ginji looked hurt. "You're the one who messed up our last retrieval by getting into a fight with the client, not me."

Ban grimaced. "I told you we're never discussing that again."

"Sorry, Ban-chan." He looked eagerly back to the aquarium with the algae balls. "Are you sure we can't get some?"

"I said, no." At Ginji's obvious disappointment, Ban's resolve wavered. "Maybe when we're leaving."

Ginji immediately brightened and threw his arms around Ban. "Thanks, Ban-chan. You're the best!"

"I didn't say definitely." Ban wormed his way out of Ginji's grasp and stepped back to look at his partner. Ginji had been more touchy than usual lately and it was beginning to make him uncomfortable. He had never even thought about it in the past, but for some reason whenever Ginji had touched him recently he found himself having feelings he shouldn't. Feelings he shouldn't be having for another guy who was his best friend, anyway. He tried to put those thoughts out of his mind for the time being and concentrate on the retrieval. "Come on. We have to pick up the rental car."

The car they ended up choosing was a sturdy red SUV that Ban decided would be good for snow covered Hokkaido roads. Not that it was snowing yet, but it didn't hurt to be prepared. In fact, the weather had been grey and gloomy since they had arrived, and he doubted snow could be far away. They climbed into the car and Ban tried hard not to feel guilty for driving something other than the ladybug. As they pulled out of the rental car parking lot he eyed the darkening sky anxiously.

"Can we stop in Sapporo, Ban-chan?" Ginji asked. "I heard they have really good sushi there."

"Not this time," he replied. "We have to get going. It's a three hour ride just to get to the entrance of the national forest."

"Will we be able to drive the car all the way to the cabin?"

"Once we get into the forest a bit we're probably going to have to get out and hike. From what I can tell from the map, the cabin isn't exactly close to any roads. Actually, it looks like it's kind of in the middle of nowhere."

Ginji was now bouncing up and down excitedly. "I can't wait to find out what's in the box. Do you think it's money?"

"I have no idea what it is and we're probably not going to find out. Remember, that guy with the weird hat said that inside the box there's going to be a sealed envelope. He doesn't want us to open it." Ban fingered the small silver key in his front pocket. They had been given the key to unlock the box as well as a map of the forest that was supposed to lead them to the location of the cabin the box was in.

"What happens if we accidentally open it?"

"We probably won't get paid. With our luck anyway. So you better not try anything like that."

Ginji laughed. "You're the one I was thinking might not be able to resist opening the envelope, Ban-chan."

"I think with this much money at stake, I should be able to restrain myself."

"I hope so, Ban-chan. We do need to pay off all those parking tickets at least." A few minutes later Ginji began rummaging in the backseat. "Since we're not stopping for lunch, we better have some snacks. Do you want chocolate or onigiri?"

"Hmm...I think onigiri is the more lunch-like option," Ban answered.

"Okay." Ginji pulled the snacks out of the plastic bag. "Here you go. I'm having chocolate."

Ginji placed the onigiri on Ban's thigh because he was driving, letting his hand linger a moment longer than was strictly necessary. Ban looked at him suspiciously, and Ginji quickly pulled away, tearing open the wrapper of his chocolate. Ban wondered if he should address the situation. "Ginji..."

"Ban-chan, look out!"

There was real panic in his partner's voice and Ban quickly forced his eyes back to the road. A small deer was crossing the road a short distance in front of them. Ban slammed on the brakes, barely missing the animal. Ginji had grabbed his arm in surprise, and Ban could feel the faint tingling of the constant electric current that ran through his friend.

"That was really close, Ban-chan." Ginji breathed a sigh of relief which Ban couldn't help echoing.

"That's for sure." Ban wrenched his arm out of Ginji's grasp. "Next time don't distract me like that," he snapped.

"I wasn't distracting you Ban-chan." Ginji's brown eyes widened at the accusation. "Not on purpose anyway. I was just giving you your onigiri."

Ban looked shakily down at his leg and took a deep breath. That really had been close. And he was angry at himself for taking things out on Ginji. "Well, the onigiri has apparently flown across the car somewhere so you'll have to get me another one."

"Fine." Ginji pulled out another onigiri and handed it to him. Ban ate it quickly and then smoked five cigarettes in a row. They spent the next few hours in silence.

Eventually they came to a sign that said 'You are now entering the Hokkaido National Forest.' The road became more narrow and the trees denser. Ginji was peering raptly out the window, probably in search of an elusive Hokkaido bear. Ban kept his eyes carefully on the road just in case any other animals decided to dart in front of them. Maybe he should havegotten that rental insurance after all.

"Look, Ban-chan, it's snowing!" Ginji gestured out the window to small flakes. The snowfall was so light that at first Ban could barely see it.

Ban frowned. "Good thing we got the SUV with four wheel drive."

"Do you think it'll start snowing harder?" Ginji asked.

"Probably," Ban said. With our luck anyway."

"I thought you liked the snow, Ban-chan."

"I do. While we're in the car, anyway. Walking around in it for hours might not be quite as fun."

Ginji's face lit up. "Oh, I forgot we have to go hiking. Well, we have lots of winter clothes at least. And we might even get to spend the night outside."

Ban frowned. "I hope not." Their clients had given them enough money that they had been able to buy what they needed for the treacherous weather in Hokkaido. Ban was not fond of the cold so he had been careful to make sure they had enough cold weather clothing. He had also bought some camping equipment just in case their search took longer than expected. Although as far as he could tell from the map, they wouldn't have to hike for more than a few hours once they reached the trail.

As they drove deeper into the forest it began snowing harder and harder. The gentle flakes became a white wall that left it almost impossible for him to see. As the weather conditions became worse, the few other cars that had been on the road seemed to disappear. This definitely wasn't like driving in Tokyo. Ginji had stopped looking out the window and was now staring at the wall of white in front of them.

"This is kind of scary, Ban-chan. Can you even see the road?"

Ban could hear the worry in Ginji's voice and tried to reassure him. "It's not that bad. As long as we get to the trail before it gets dark we should be fine. And it shouldn't get dark for hours."

Ginji looked unconvinced. "It's already kind of dark because there are so many trees here and the sky is cloudy. Maybe we should pull over for awhile, Ban-chan. Until the snow stops."

Ban took in the raging storm doubtfully. "It doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon. And we really have to get to that trail today. We don't have enough supplies to spend a lot of time out in this weather."

"But, Ban-chan..."

"We don't really have much of a choice, Ginji. Not if we don't want to end up freezing to death or something."

Ginji looked resigned. "I trust you, Ban-chan," he said softly. "It'll be okay."

Ban couldn't help but feel like Ginji was now the one trying to reassure him. "Of course it will," he said, hoping that his best friend's unconditional trust in him wasn't unfounded.

As the hours went on Ban realized he was getting tired. Driving in the snow took a lot of concentration and it was wearing him down. Ginji had been talkingnonstop for awhile now, probably trying to keep him from worrying about the weather. But with the storm looking like it had no end in sight and the fact that with all the snow they seemed to have missed the trail they were looking for, it wasn't doing much good. Suddenly he spotted something glowing in the distance and interrupted Ginji.

"Do you see that?"

"What?" Ginji leaned forward and looked out the front windshield. "Where?"

"Straight ahead." Ban pointed to the lights that seemed to getting closer by the second.

Ginji squinted, trying to see the lights more clearly. "It's another car! We haven't seen any cars since we first came into the forest! Maybe we're getting near a ranger station or something!"

"Ginji, that car is headed straight at us!" Ban stared at the car and slowed down, assuming it would slow down too and move to its own lane as it approached. Instead it seemed to be gaining speed as it came closer and closer.

"Ban-chan, they're going to hit us!"

Ginji's hand on Ban's arm stood out vividly for a moment as he swerved off the road and went over an embankment that he hadn't even realized was there. They seemed to be going down and down for what seemed like forever but was probably only a few seconds. When they hit the tree Ban was almost relieved. At least it hadn't been the ladybug he had crashed. He felt a sharp pain on his forehead and when he reached up to touch it his fingers came away wet. After staring at them for a moment he realized the wetness was blood. Then he blacked out.

tbc


	2. Chapter 2

**Into the Woods**

**Chapter 2**

**Author's Note** - Please read and review! Thanks to takadainmate for betaing and being my canon whore.

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Ginji awoke to a feeling of intense cold, combined with a dull ache in his left arm. He didn't understand what was going on for a minute, and wondered if they had decided to spend the night outside after all. Then the panic set in. He was strapped into the SUV by his seatbelt and the car was on its side. A cascade of snow was streaming in steadily through the broken windows. "Ban-chan..." He looked down and saw Ban unconscious below him. Ban's side of the car was against the ground and his friend was still seatbelted in, blood oozing from a gash across his forehead.

Ginji unfastened his own seatbelt, careful not to fall on Ban-chan. His only thought was that he had to get them both out of the car as fast as possible. In movies cars always seemed to explode after bad car crashes and he didn't want that to happen to them. Especially not when they were still in the car. He began shaking Ban-chan gently while saying his name, trying to wake him up. There was no response. It looked like he was going to have to get both of them out of the car himself. Turning to the front windshield he began kicking at the remaining pieces of jagged glass so that they didn't get cut on the way out. Once he was satisfied, he unfastened Ban-chan's seatbelt and hauled him up by the armpits. This sounded easier than it actually was since his arm seemed to hurt a lot. He didn't think it was actually broken, but it definitely didn't feel good. Ban-chan didn't wake up even as Ginji was pulling him out of the car and he tried not to think about him never waking up again. Leaving him alone. But no, Ban-chan had promised he would never do that. And it was his job to protect him now; to keep him safe. Once he had managed to pull his friend out of the car, he dragged him what he hoped was a safe distance away.

There was a little smoke coming out from the engine, but not enough that it seemed like it was going to explode. He hoped so anyway because he was going to have to go back in the car to get their supplies and the map to the cabin. He was sure Ban-chan would want him to do that at least. Ginji looked in the direction of the embankment they had come down. He hoped he could find it again, but it was going to be hard to climb up. Especially carrying an unconscious Ban-chan. He tried to clear his head and think about what he would do. They had to get help. If he couldn't climb up the embankment he would have to follow it until it got less steep. He had to find the road. Ban-chan moaned and Ginji knelt down beside him in the falling snow.

"It's going to be okay, Ban-chan. Don't worry about anything. I'm going to go get our supplies now." Gently he brushed away the snow that was accumulating in Ban-chan's dark hair and on his face. Ban-chan's glasses must have been knocked off during the crash and he looked strange without them. Kind of innocent, like a little kid. Ginji would have to remember to look for the glasses in the car. Ban-chan would be really upset if they were gone.

Dragging Ban-chan over a little more so he was under the shelter of the huge forest evergreens, Ginji made his way back to the car. He approached it cautiously. It would be just his luck if it exploded while he was in it. He couldn't let that happen because then Ban-chan would be all alone and hurt in the woods. "Ban-chan..." He looked back at his friend lying unconscious in the snow and steeled himself. He just needed to get the stuff, get out, and move himself and Ban-chan to someplace safer.

Ginji climbed in carefully through the shattered glass of the broken windshield and made his way to the backseat where their supplies were. He hadn't been with Ban when he bought the supplies so he had no idea what he would find. There were two small daypacks and some hats and gloves, which he put in one of the backpacks along with all of their remaining food. There were also two lightweight sleeping bags. He managed to squeeze one of them into a backpack and decided to leave the other behind. There was no way he could carry all of this stuff and Ban-chan, too. Searching in the front seat Ginji found the map, a little soggy from all the snow but still readable. He also found Ban's undamaged sunglasses beneath one of the seats and slipped them in his pocket. Dragging everything out through the broken front windshield he made his way over to where Ban-chan was.

"Ban-chan, I found your sunglasses. And I got all the stuff. Everything's going to be okay." Ban-chan didn't wake up to answer and Ginji wondered if he was just talking to make himself feel better. Ban-chan's face was very pale, almost white beneath all the blood. Ginji opened the backpack with the food and took out some napkins. Carefully, he wiped the blood off of Ban-chan's forehead. He didn't know what else to do. The cut seemed to have stopped bleeding for the most part. Suddenly he noticed that Ban-chan was shaking a little. And that neither of them were wearing coats. Their coats! He must have left them in the car.

The car was no longer surrounded by a cloud of smoke so he decided that maybe it wasn't going to explode after all. That made him feel better and he didn't rush this time as he looked through the car for anything he might have missed. He grabbed their coats and the remaining sleeping bag, thinking that he could at least wrap Ban-chan in it temporarily. He knew that when people were sick you had to keep them warm. As he was about to get out again he saw a silver key stuck in the place between the driver seat and the door. Reaching his hand down in the small space, he just managed to grab the edge and pull it out. It must have fallen out of Ban-chan's pocket.

Satisfied that he now had everything they would need, Ginji climbed out the front windshield again and ran back to where Ban-chan was lying beneath the trees. He was still unconscious, but his shivering seemed to have gotten stronger during the few minutes Ginji had been gone. It could have to do with the fact that he was covered with a layer of snow that looked like a dusting of powdered sugar, like Ginji usually had on doughnuts. Quickly he sat Ban-chan up, brushed the snow off his clothes, and put the coat and gloves on him. It was more difficult than he would have thought, putting a coat on someone who was unconscious, and it didn't help that his arm was throbbing. He put on his own coat too, and then opened the sleeping bag and wrapped it around Ban-chan. He lay him down in the snow and then wondered what to do next. He had to get help for Ban-chan and get him out of the cold. He just didn't know the best way to do those things. He looked through the dense trees and snow in the direction of the embankment the car had come down. If they just walked along the embankment surely it would be less steep at some point. But Ban-chan wasn't awake. That meant he was going to have to carry him.

Swinging the backpack over one shoulder he picked up Ban-chan and put him gently over the other. Then he started walking in the direction that the car had come from. It was still snowing hard, and the wind made the snow whip around in every direction. Luckily, the tracks the car had made were clear and easy to follow in the fallen snow. When he reached the embankment he looked up, but knew there was no way he could make it to the top. It was just too steep. And he didn't want to leave Ban-chan alone and go up himself. If he fell Ban-chan would be all alone. He decided to walk along the edge. He had thought he wouldn't have to walk very far before the embankment got less steep, but as time went on that didn't seem to be the true. He walked and walked, but the embankment was still too steep to climb. His arm ached where he had hurt it, and the icy cold seemed to seep into his bones. He was tired, so tired, from all the walking and carrying Ban-chan and the supplies. More than anything he wanted to stop, to lie down in the snow, but he was beginning to think he wouldn't be able to get up if he did that. And he had to get help. Ban-chan needed help. Nothing else mattered.

More time passed and Ginji didn't know if he could go much farther. Ban-chan seemed to be getting heavier and heavier and the pain in his arm had become sharper, but he refused to give up. Finally the embankment seemed to even out and become a hill instead of a towering mountain. He thought he could climb it now, and hopefully when he got to the top the road would be there. And then he just had to wait for a car to come and ask them for help. Maybe the people in the car would be nice and stop and call an ambulance for Ban-chan. Maybe they would let them sit in the car and warm up while they waited. And then Ban-chan would be okay. When he thought about Ban-chan being hurt he got a sick feeling in his stomach like when he had eaten too much sushi, only worse. He had to be okay. He just had to!

He decided to sit down for a minute and gather his strength before trying to climb the hill. He pulled Ban-chan close and examined the gash across his forehead. It was no longer bleeding and didn't seem very deep. But he could also see the beginnings of a yellowish bruise around it. It was swollen and looked like it hurt a lot. He must have hit his head on the steering wheel during the crash. Ginji wondered if Ban-chan had one of those concussion things. He wasn't sure exactly what they were, but he knew you weren't supposed to sleep when you had them. But Ban-chan had been unconscious ever since the crash. That couldn't be good. He decided to try to wake him up again. He shook Ban-chan gently and said his name over and over. "Ban-chan you have to wake up. Don't leave me here alone. I don't know what to do without you!" There was no response. Ginji blinked back tears as he pulled Ban-chan close to him, trying to keep him warm at least. What if Ban-chan never woke up? He couldn't think that way. He had to be strong for Ban-chan.

Having caught his breath, he stood up again, picking up the supplies and putting Ban-chan over his shoulder. He hoped it wasn't hurting Ban-chan to be moved around so much. Then he started climbing the hill. It wasn't nearly as steep as it had been in the beginning, but he still had to stop a few times to rest his arm. The hill was covered with shrubs and small trees that he used to pull himself up and keep him from losing his balance. If they hadn't been there he would have been in a lot of trouble. After what seemed like forever he made it to the top of the hill. And then his breath caught - there was no road. Ginji sat down in the snow, stunned. How could there be no road? He had followed the embankment the whole time and gone straight up when it had stopped being so steep. Maybe the road had curved somewhere? Ginji looked at Ban-chan, who he was holding against his chest, and tried to stay strong. Maybe if he walked back the way the embankment was he could find the road. He didn't really have any other options. Standing up and picking Ban-chan and everything up again, he started out in the direction he thought the road would be. He could feel the panic welling up in his stomach, but it was competing with his sheer exhaustion now. He couldn't do this much longer. But if he didn't, Ban-chan.... The thought was too horrible to think about. He had to find the road soon. It couldn't be that much farther.

Time passed slowly as he walked through the forest, and the icy wind burned his face. Ginji could no longer feel his hands or feet. He hoped Ban-chan was warm enough in the sleeping bag. It was hard to stay close to the embankment because there was so much snow he couldn't see well. If he wasn't careful he would end up walking them both off the edge. That wouldn't be a good end to their mission. It seemed like hours passed and there was still no road. Then Ginji caught sight of something brown in the distance through the sheets of snow. Could it be the cabin that he and Ban-chan had been searching for? As he got closer he saw that it wasn't a cabin. It was more like one of those shelters they had in the forest for people who were hiking. In any case, it meant they would get out of the storm for awhile which would be good. He wasn't sure how much farther he could go and he needed to get Ban-chan warm.

The shelter seemed completely deserted as Ginji approached it and he wasn't surprised. There probably weren't that many people who would want to be out hiking in this kind of weather. He tried the door and it came open easily. It was just as cold inside as it was outside, but there was a fireplace with a good supply of firewood near it. That was going to have to be his first priority. Other than the fireplace and wood the shelter was empty. There wasn't a single piece of furniture or any kind of cabinet that might have supplies. It really must be a place for hikers to stay who had their own sleeping stuff.

He collapsed on the cold wooden floor, still holding Ban-chan carefully. He was breathing okay, but seemed no closer to waking up when Ginji shook him. Ginji removed one of Ban-chan's hands from the glove and it was icy cold. Or maybe his own hands were so cold that he just couldn't feel anything. He quickly began putting wood in the fireplace, starting with very small pieces. Then he reached carefully in Ban-chan's pocket for his lighter. It was kind of hard for him to get the fire going, but once it got started the small shelter warmed up fast. He got as close to the fire as he could without being in danger of burning himself and lay down with Ban-chan in his arms. He thought he would only shut his eyes for a moment, but the warmth of the fire and Ban-chan's closeness lulled him into sleep.

tbc


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